NCL Dawn Docks at King's Wharf or Tenders in?

[zapperman]

I'm posting this request for information on the disabled thread, after posting it on the main NCL thread. I need to know is NCL Dawn docks at King's Wharf, Bermuda or do they tender in the passengers at King's Wharf?:confused: . The answer I got from the main thread seemed to say that you do in fact dock at King's Wharf. Any fellow handicapped travelers out there who have actually disembarked NCL Dawn at King's Wharf??:confused: . If so, how steep was the gangway from the ship, and what did you do on shore at King's Wharf as a handicapped traveler?:confused: I am Power wheelchair bound and I want to get off the ship at King's Wharf and perhaps do the "Trolley Train Tour West End" NCL shore excursion, or strike out on my own, or perhaps do "The Frog and Onion". Thanks in advance for any info that you can provide.:rolleyes: Zapperman :p

[Splinter]

You're not going to find a lift equipped bus or van for a ship's tour here, so unless you can get into a regular tour bus and take a manual chair, I would not plan on that tour. I know that there are also limited curb cuts and ramps there. Do what we do. Take your manual chair for shore trips, and either do what you can walk to or transfer to cabs. Leave your power chair on the ship.

[OracleBones]

I am on the NCL Dawn for their mid-May Bermuda/Bahamas cruise and am also confined to a power chair. I too was thinking about the trolley tour but can find no information on accessibility. I'm hoping it does have a ramp or lift. I think the Dawn docks rather than tenders, as after all it was a huge British naval base following the unrest in the colonies. I do understand from the Access Bermuda web site that the Dockyard at King's Warf is accessible and it is a short distance from the pier. The following is from their site:

 

Dockyard is now the most visited place in Bermuda, according to some statistics and that attendance has given justification to the expenditure of funds for the restoration of its buildings and landscapes. All of the Museum buildings, bar one, have wheelchair access. Access to historic buildings must be carried out in a sensitive manner as to not impose damage to the historic fabric of the buildings. Dr. Edward Harris, MBE, JP, FSA

Executive Director, Bermuda Maritime Museum

 

I'll let you know what I find when I return to Canada sometime after Victoria Day (we still celebrate her birthday). I do plan to take my manual chair but hope to use the power chair as I don't think my son or daughter want to push me all day.

[zapperman]

OracleBones –

 

Thanks for the info and yes if you could post to this webpage or e-mail me at msomer1706@aol.com after your trip I would appreciate it. You are going on the exact cruise that I am contemplating, NCL Dawn from NYC to Bermuda/Bahamas, I assume on 5/13/06 to 5/20/06. Could you please ask the shore excursion manager onboard Dawn if the “Train Trolley Tour West End” excursion is handicapped friendly or are there any other possible shore excursions at King’s Wharf that would be HC friendly (thanks). Also I assume that you will have a handicapped cabin so please let me know if Dawn has the pull down shower seat in the wall, and the handheld handicapped shower with the long cord in her HC cabins. If you do get off the ship at King’s Wharf, how steep is the gangway, and were you able to drive your chair down the gangway? I’m not sure what info you have on King’s Wharf so I’ll give you what I have to date. If NCL has no excursions available for HC passengers, I am considering doing my own shore excursion. I want to visit The Bermuda Maritime Museum in The Royal Navy Dockyard, and after the touring the museum possibility stopping at The Frog and Onion Pub for lunch. I’m not sure how far it is to the museum so I have scoped out a transportation website for a possible Van or Taxi ride to the museum. The website is: http://www.bermuda.com/transportation/ and look at the bottom of the page for the section titled “transportation services for the disabled”. If you have any interest in the Frog and Onion Pub their website is: http://www.frogandonion.bm/ . My last cruise I visited Nassau, Bahamas and I was able to get off the ship. I found Nassau to be very wheelchair friendly with curb cutout and I had no trouble getting from the ship to Bay Street to visit The Pirates Museum (HC friendly), and the straw market. The website for The Pirates Museum is: http://www.pirates-of-nassau.com/museum.htm . Once again thanks in advance for helping me out, and I hope you have a blast on your cruise.:D Zapperman:)

[QuickieGlenn]

I am in a chair and was on the Dawn 3-16 and had a HC room

Room is about 4-5 ft wider than a standard room. The shower has a pull down bench that worked fine. Their is a hand held shower. I am about 260lbs and the bench is built to take it

 

Have a great cruise

[Katya4]

We sailed on the Dawn 7/8 and one of our party are confined to a motorized Chair. We went down the gang way at Kings Wharf and the staff helped him to guide him down to the pier. It was short and not entirely steep. Link to my pictures to see.

 

Anyway we did take the water taxi to Hamilton, which is right where you get off the ship and it had a ramp to get on and a ramp to get off. We did not experience too much difficulti at all. Once off we had difficulty finding a restaurant to eat lunch but asked a local shop keeper and was directed to a place only a small stroll from where the ferry docked. We had to go up and around to the rear street (just as busy & interesting) as Front Street to enter the restaurant but the owner made room for us and we had traditional fish and chips with ginger beer and it was quite enjoyable.

 

Part of our big party of 10 stayed in Kings Wharf and found most places to be accessable (maybe not all shops) but felt there was enough to do by just walking around the area near the ship.

 

The tenders to go to the private beach are accessable to get on but in order to get off you need to decend a flight of stairs. Our friend did not go on this excursion.

 

In Nassau he did get off twice but due to their lack of finding anything interesting got back on the ship. He did not mention much about that experience. (getting off or on the ship)

[willieg]

Do you remember the name of the restaurant in Hamilton that was accessible?

I think many people don't realize how hilly it is in Hamilton.

We had a delightful taxi tour in Bermuda. Some HC friends had trouble on the ferry with crowded conditions. Taxis were available at the dock for tours, but we arranged one in advance.

[Katya4]

The restaurant in Bermuda was called Bistro 12....when you arrive in Hamilton by ferry, cross the street and there is an Irish Linens store there and on the other corner a duty free liqoure store....go up that street a block and take a right so you are on the street right behind Front Street and go about a half a block and the handicap enterance is in there. It wasn't much but the food was very tasty and the owner was a man from Liverpool England who came 11 years ago and never went back. Nice people, good food, not too expensive. And most important accomidated a power wheelchair.